Greetings everyone and welcome to TLFG for what looks like being a thrilling week of action.
As we approach the end of the season, it's all about promotion, relegation, play-offs, cup finals and we've got the lot over the next few days!
So what have you been up to over the last week? Did you get to any games?
I made it to Actonians v Dulwich Hamlet on Sunday which was their final match of the season.
Needing a win to finish fifth, their highest since 2023, the A's gave a pretty commanding performance as they also ended the campaign above local rivals QPR.
With little to play for, the visitors were a bit disappointing and they barely worked Elisa Dogor in the Actonians goal all afternoon.
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| Actonians beat Dulwich 3-0 to end their season on a high |
Two goals from Kayra Karakus and another from Jasmine Williamson saw the hosts to a 3-0 win and jubilant scenes ensued at the end.
To finish fifth as an amateur independent team with a small fanbase in a league with more and more money coming into it was some achievement.
That independent status, in my opinion, makes the club a great opportunity for someone so who knows what will happen in the future? If investment doesn't come, the future could be very challenging indeed.
Back to this week and this blog is a work in progress. Some fixtures will only be confirmed for the weekend once the midweek play-off matches are completed so keep checking back for the latest.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Matches in the Premier League top the bill this week but it's also the final day in the EFL so we should get quite a lot of drama to enjoy!
At non-league level, play-off season gets fully underway so there should be even more nerve-shredding action.
In the women's game, Arsenal are back at the Emirates Stadium for a WSL game against Leicester City whilst Spurs are at home too. In WSL2 it's the final day on Sunday and there are three teams in the title race - two of them meet at The Valley where Charlton host Birmingham in a blockbuster fixture.
As always, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or the venue or kick-off time has changed - this is highly possible for some of the lower non-league clubs and development matches. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.
Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (orange pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.
Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.
It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top.
MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
Tuesday fixtures - green pin
Wednesday fixtures - turquoise pin
Thursday fixtures - purple pin
Friday fixtures - black pin
WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Saturday fixtures - blue pin
Sunday fixtures - orange pin
Monday fixtures - yellow pin
TLFG DAILY DIGEST
In the following section, I list what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. I no longer write previews for sold out matches or ones where membership is a minimum requirement for tickets so Premier League matches will rarely appear here - they will still be on the match maps though.
Tuesday 28 April
London Senior Cup Final
Dulwich Hamlet v QPR U21 @745pm - a week of big matches gets underway on Tuesday. The biggest crowd of the night will probably come at Champion Hill where the Hamlet play host to QPR's youngsters in the final of this county cup which has been going since 1882. Dulwich have won it five times but it's been 22 years since their last triumph. The R's have only fielded a side in recent years and this is their first final appearance. Last season they won the Premier League Cup and it seems they're taking this very seriously too as they've scored a total of 21 goals in the four previous rounds. Tickets
Isthmian League South East Play-Off Semi-Final
AFC Croydon Athletic v Sittingbourne @745pm - with some of the lower divisions' play-offs having already begun, the top non-league divisions all begin theirs this week. First up in the eighth tier, Stormzy and Wilfried Zaha's Rams will hope to make full use of home advantage against Kent club Sittingbourne in this one-legged semi-final. Although Athletic finished second, they only won one of their last six so they're not in great form while Sittingbourne finished fifth and scored a total of seven in the two games before this. The winners will play AFC Whyteleafe or Jersey Bulls in the final on Friday. Tickets
Essex Senior League Play-Off Semi-Final
SOUL Tower Hamlets v Barking @745pm - the hosts were in the title race until the final day but their 4-2 win at Halstead Town was not enough as Little Oakley also won to claim first place by two points. Nevertheless, STH have had a great season and won their final three coming into this. Fellow east London club Barking finished fifth and lost to STH 1-0 on this ground two weeks ago and it's likely to be close again. Tickets
SCEFL Premier Play-Off Semi-Final
Fisher v Punjab United @745pm - the Fish made it to the play-offs last year after finishing fourth but didn't make it up. This time they finished as runners-up so will hope this is their year. Although Punjab finished fifth, they ended the season topping the six-game form table and made it to the FA Vase Semi-Final - they will be formidable opponents. Tickets are £8 on the gate
CCL Division Cup Semi-Final
Hillingdon Borough v SL Benfica @730pm - the main reason to go to this one as a neutral is a very sad one as this could potentially be Hillingdon's final game before they pull out of competitive football. The former FA Vase finalists announced recently that they can no longer make it work and that they'd be ceasing operations at the end of the campaign. They finished 12th in their 23-team division but now want to end things on a fantastic high by winning a cup. Benfica finished just one point and one place below them so this should be a really competitive game. Hopefully the hosts will win and they'll get one more glorious final game but if not, this is where the story ends. Tickets are £7 on the gate
Capital Senior Cup Final
AFC Wimbledon v Fulham @745pm - Sutton United's ground plays host to the final of the female equivalent of the London Senior Cup. It looks like being a very interesting game too. With the Dons retaining their Tier 3 status by a whisker on the final day, they take on unbeaten Tier 4 champions Fulham in what is also a local derby. Tickets
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Wednesday 29 April
Women's Super League
Arsenal v Leicester City @7pm - the biggest crowd of the night should be found at the Emirates for this. The Gunners won the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Lyon on Sunday and will look to win this game in hand too to move back into the WSL's top three. The Foxes are seven points adrift at the bottom and should be beaten. Tickets
National League Play-Off Eliminator
Boreham Wood v Forest Green Rovers @745pm - the National League's play-offs follow a different format to most other leagues in this country with the teams in second to seventh qualifying. In this opening round, the team in fourth plays seventh and fifth takes on sixth. The teams in second and third receive a bye and play the winners of the first round. The Wood ended the campaign in fourth, making themselves TLFG's highest ranked non-league club in the process. When you consider they are one of the smallest clubs in the division, in terms of attendance, this is some achievement. FGR, managed by Robbie Savage, were an EFL club until two years ago and will want to get back there as soon as possible. Tickets
Isthmian League Premier Play-Off Semi-Final
Aveley v Brentwood Town @745pm - it's an all-Essex affair at Parkside where the Millers continue their attempt to get back into the NLS at the first attempt following their relegation last season. The two league games between the two this season ended 1-1 and 3-3 so this could well go the distance. The winners will play Billericay Town or Chatham Town in the final on Monday. Tickets
Isthmian League South Central Play-Off Semi-Final
Hanworth Villa v Moneyfields @745pm - if anyone deserves to go up it's Hanworth who have now made the play-offs in three out of the last four seasons. With three consecutive wins, they come into this game in better form than Moneyfields and they did the double over them during the regular season too. Tickets
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Thursday 30 April
Suburban League Shield Final
Horley Town v Colney Heath @745pm - as a teenager I used to watch Harrow Borough's reserves play in the Suburban League but that was around 35 years ago and I've kind of lost touch with the ins and outs of the competition since then. I do know it's still for U23 and reserve sides and the development sides of these two meet in this final at Abbey Rangers' ground in what is probably the biggest game of the day. I've no idea how much admission is but it shouldn't be more than £5
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Friday 1 May
Premier League 2 Quarter-Final
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur @7pm - after both successfully negotiating the opening round of the play-offs, these two will now meet at Kingsmeadow in the last eight of this U21 competition. Chelsea topped the table at the end of the 20-game qualifying campaign so they should start as favourites against Spurs who finished eighth. Tickets
Isthmian League South East Play-Off Final
AFC Croydon Athletic v AFC Whyteleafe @745pm - the final they all wanted to see - well I did anyway. Two clubs in the deep south of TLFG's catchment area meeting for a place in the Isthmian Premier. There could easily be 1,000 at this eighth-tier game and the atmosphere should be great. Tickets
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Saturday 2 May
Women's Super League 2
For the first time since I don't know when, every game in the Premier League and EFL taking place in London on Saturday has sold out or is off limits to non-members. If you really must go to a men's pro game, perhaps check whether the away clubs have anything left. If not, then it's the final day in the women's second tier and the battle for the title and promotion couldn't be much closer with only one point separating the top three. The top two, Charlton Athletic and Birmingham City, meet at The Valley at 3pm (tickets). With the Addicks a point ahead, they will win the title if they win this. The Blues are level on points with Crystal Palace and should have the goal difference to stay ahead if they win. If the top two draw and the Eagles beat bottom club Portsmouth at Sutton United's ground (tickets) then they will nip in and steal the title! The jeopardy of previous seasons when only the top team went up has gone - now the top two go up and third place go into a play-off with the WSL's bottom club Leicester City so potentially all three could go up
National League South Play-Off Semi-Final
Hornchurch v Weston-super-Mare @3pm - after seemingly being in the top two for most of the season, the Urchins have made it to the play-offs after finishing three points behind title winners Worthing. The east London club have done this despite being only the 16th best supported club in the division. West Country club WSM are in very similar form so it should be close. The winners will play Dorking Wanderers or Torquay United in the final next Saturday. Tickets are available online and could well sell out so don't turn up without one
Essex Senior League Play-Off Final
Buckhurst Hill v Barking @3pm - in north-east London, a place in the eighth tier Isthmian League North is up for grabs. The hosts are only playing their fifth season in senior football and are only 90 minutes away from their second promotion. Momentum is a huge thing going into the play-offs and they really have it, topping the form table at the end of the season. Finishing fourth, they travelled to Great Wakering Rovers in midweek and caused a bit of an upset with their win on penalties. Barking finished fifth and won at SOUL Tower Hamlets who were a whisker away from winning the title. These two only played a week ago on the final day of the regular season in an exact repeat of this fixture. Buckhurst won 2-0 and they should start as favourites here. Tickets are again likely to be in short supply so buy in advance
CCL Division 1 Play-Off Final
Bedfont v Brook House @3pm - two west London clubs meet next to Heathrow Airport for a place in the ninth tier. The hosts accrued an impressive 95 points from their 44 games but just couldn't keep pace with Penn & Tylers Green who pulled away in the final weeks of the campaign. The Brook, however, come into this match in marginally better form and have the division's top striker as mentioned above. Admission is £7 on the gate
ECL Division 1 South Play-Off Final
Clapton CFC v Rayleigh Town @3pm - London's oldest ground, the Old Spotted Dog, plays host to what could be an epic afternoon of football. CCFC are one of the best supported 10th-tier teams in the country with a record crowd of approaching 2,000 easily possible for this match. They finished second, 17 points clear of Rayleigh who came fourth, and dispatched Lymore Gardens 4-1 in the semis as their form showed no sign of letting up. With support like this, they easily match many clubs several tiers above them so it would seem they are well equipped to deal with promotion. Admission is £5 on the gate but turn up early to ensure you get in and get a good view - gates open at 2pm. More details
U16 Premier League Final
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur @12pm - there's a bonus bit of youth football at lunchtime. Not only that but it's being played at Craven Cottage. Tickets are free but you're being encouraged to book online before you arrive
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Sunday 3 May
Women's Super League
Tottenham Hotspur v London City Lionesses @12pm - winless in four, Spurs go into their final home game of the season knowing victory will probably see them finish fifth (Brighton will have to win all of their final three games to pip them on goal difference). Lose and LCL could even end up passing them on goal difference too so in the battle for final positions, this has quite a bit riding on it. When the sides last met in February, Spurs edged to a win on penalties in the FA Cup after a thrilling 2-2 draw. The match is being played at Leyton Orient and tickets are available for £10 on arrival
L&SE Women's League Premier
Millwall Lionesses v Brentford @130pm - of the lower division games, this fifth-tier match in Rotherhithe is probably the best of what's on offer. This is Millwall's final game and if they win they'll improve their chances of keeping hold of seventh - Aylesford have a game in hand and could still overtake them. As for the Bees, it's been another season of failure. Despite being attached to a Premier League club and having access to their training facilities, media and marketing team and the privilege of the odd game at the GTech, they're still not winning a division where their potential resources almost certainly outstrip all of the other clubs combined! They are the Premier League men's team with the lowest ranked women's team. They will lose the title to either Dartford or Saltdean United and could even finish third behind both of them. Apparently this embarrassment will lead to a massive squad overhaul this summer and a serious injection of cash. Admission will probably be around £5
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Monday 4 May
Premier League 2 Quarter-Final
Crystal Palace v Manchester United @6pm - in the original version of this blog which I released three days ago, there was nothing of interest in TLFG's area except the sold out Chelsea v Forest Premier League game. Thanks to TLFG readers, we now have two options. Firstly this U21 game at Sutton United's ground - many thanks to Tim G for the tip off. The winners will play Manchester City in the semi-finals. Tickets are £5
Southern Combination Cup Final
Cobham v Reading City @1pm - only decided on Saturday after Reading's semi-final win over Bedfont Sports, thanks for the tip off here goes to TLFG reader Balham. Cobham won the CCL Premier South by a 20-point margin so they'll start as strong favourites against another ninth-tier side who narrowly failed to make the play-offs in the CCL Premier North. The match is also being played at Cobham's ground. I haven't seen any admission details but the going rate at Cobham is £8 on the gate
Elsewhere, there are several big non-league play-off games just outside London. Most have sold out but it could be worth monitoring the websites of Billericay Town, Farnham Town, Hitchin Town and Rusthall to see if any last-minute tickets have been put on sale over the weekend
GET INVOLVED
If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground in the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.
NEED HELP?
Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries. I do not charge for this advice like some other sites so don't hold back!
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